PSG v Lyon, Paris host the Ligue 1 leaders

“These three injuries, three important players, that is the worst news.” Luis Enrique made no secret of his concern after PSG's 4-2 win over FC Barcelona on Tuesday night at the Parc des Princes. The next day, the club confirmed the diagnosis: Ousmane Dembélé, Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss the visit of Lyon.

PSG v Lyon is scheduled for 20:45 on Sunday 25 October, on matchday eight of Ligue 1, and it is a genuine battle for top spot: both clubs have 14 points, with Lyon ahead of Paris on goal difference. In Paris, the injury crisis also opens the door for a young Belgium international.

Three key Paris players out against Lyon

Tuesday's game sums up the Paris dilemma. Against Barcelona, on matchday three of the Champions League, PSG made it three wins from three, a week after beating Manchester City by the same score. But Dembélé went off after around 20 minutes, before Marquinhos and Kvaratskhelia left the pitch together in the 59th minute.

Wednesday's medical update makes grim reading. Kvaratskhelia has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will have surgery in the coming days; the club gave no timescale for his absence. Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, has a left thigh injury and Marquinhos a right thigh injury, and both will remain under treatment over the coming weeks.

The night ended with four players injured in all, as Barcelona also lost Dani Olmo. Luis Enrique has five days to rethink part of his attack before welcoming the leaders.

Five clubs level on 14 points at the top

Lyon went top last Sunday by coming from behind to beat Nice 2-1. After Elye Wahi had opened the scoring, they hit back within three minutes through Pavel Sulc and Tanner Tessmann. Yet Lyon are not alone: Paris, Lille, Paris FC and Monaco also have 14 points after seven matchdays, separated only by goal difference.

In the Europa League, Paulo Fonseca's side won their first two games, 2-1 at Anderlecht and 3-2 against Crystal Palace, before a much-changed Lyon lost 3-0 at Hoffenheim on Thursday. That leaves them with two days' less rest than their hosts, who played on Tuesday: worth bearing in mind if you bet on sports online and are weighing up the odds for this match.

Paulo Fonseca will also be without two attacking players. Keito Nakamura, sent off in the 70th minute against Nice, has been given a one-match ban. Belgium international Loïs Openda, on loan from Juventus since the summer, has a crack in his fibula from the game against his former club Lens on 9 October, and Lyon do not expect him back before the November international break.

Can Mika Godts seize his chance against Lyon?

Among Luis Enrique's options is a name Belgian fans know well. Signed from Ajax in the summer for a reported €45 million before add-ons, Mika Godts, 21, is under contract until 2031. A product of the Anderlecht academy who later moved on to Genk, the winger plays in exactly Kvaratskhelia's position, on the left flank.

His early outings for Paris came mostly off the bench, until his first start against Le Mans on 10 October. “Mika will be very important,” his coach said at the time. The Georgian's absence opens up a place, though not a guaranteed one: on Tuesday it was Maghnes Akliouche, signed from Monaco in the summer, who replaced him, and Désiré Doué can also play on the left.

Lyon, meanwhile, have another Anderlecht graduate in their squad: Julien Duranville, who joined from Dortmund in the summer to replace Afonso Moreira, who left for Leverkusen, on the left wing. Handed a start against Nice after injuries had kept him out for a long spell, the former Anderlecht winger made his mark: Yehvann Diouf parried his shot and Pavel Sulc followed up to equalise.

PSG v OL puts the depth of the Paris squad to the test

The depth of the Paris squad will be central to this game. Double European champions after knocking out Bayern in last season's semi-final (6-5 on aggregate), PSG must now cope without three key players at once, two of them among their main attacking weapons.

The last meeting offers Paris little comfort. On Lyon's previous visit to the Parc des Princes, on 19 April, OL won 2-1 through Endrick and Afonso Moreira, with Kvaratskhelia only pulling one back in stoppage time.

Lyon arrive with less rest and a European defeat behind them, but with top spot to defend at the home of the double European champions. With Paris depleted and Lyon back from Germany only three days earlier, the outcome of this clash remains open. The result will also matter to Lille, Paris FC and Monaco, who go into the weekend on the same number of points, and whose games are also there for anyone looking to bet on football in Belgium.